Attorney General Bird Joins Bipartisan Effort Urging U.S. Department of Justice to Address Illegal Offshore Gaming

DES MOINES– Attorney General Brenna Bird today joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to address the rampant spread of illegal offshore gaming. The coalition stressed the need for action against the unprecedented growth in illicit online gambling.       

“The spread of illegal offshore gambling hurts our communities and puts Iowans at risk,” said Attorney General Bird. “I am urging the DOJ to protect communities and Iowans from exploitation and fraud and to end the blatant disregard of state laws. I encourage Iowans to be wary and not use illegal gambling sites.”     

Illegal online sports betting and gaming operations are largely run by foreign-based companies that routinely operate without proper licensure, offer limited or no consumer protections, do not verify the age of users, ignore state law, and evade taxes.     

The coalition’s letter highlights the significant harm these illegal sites cause to states, their economies, and their residents, particularly young people and vulnerable adults. The illegal gaming operations expose users to fraudulent schemes and encourage problem gambling without any oversight or accountability. They undercut state-regulated markets and have been linked to money laundering, human trafficking, and other illegal conduct.     

The coalition urges the DOJ to assist and coordinate with states by:    

• Seizing assets, including servers, websites, domains, and proceeds, used by these criminal operations  

The letter was co-led by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Utah. Attorney General Bird joined the letter along with the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 

The letter may be viewed in its entirety here. 

### 

For More Information:

Jen Green 

jen.green@ag.iowa.gov